226 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LOct. 10, issb. 



SPORT IN NEW MEXICO. 



felBBT I'AI'IsK. 



few 



EA.THEB rooTfl than a vear agolscntyou i 

 upon Iront-tishing in NfiW McjjCO, that you honored 

 with a .place in your columns, and 1 believe you afterwards 

 expressed a wish that 1 would contribute a second edition. 

 Pci- force of circumstances 1 have been obliged to postpone 

 Wrllang, Im* the very simple reason tliat, I had nothing to 

 iii about, as I have already told you sport is not to be 

 had in the immediate vicinity of Santa Fe, and having 

 " ■, l,o attend lo, my journeys in pursuit thereof are 

 limited. However 1 will give you ihe best 1 have. 



1 Suppose most of your readers remember from their 

 ancient my Ihology a gentleman of the name of Tantalus, 

 who. Inning- excited the ire of the gods, was doomed to 



good long 



nk was 

 tched forth 

 (B purely 

 This was 

 q too far. 

 the model 

 hied. But 



suffer everlasting thirst, ulthougr 

 placed under his very nose, but a 

 his band to refresh himself, the e 

 temperance drink) recede*! just I 

 what might be called carrying pr 

 Well, this poor thirsty goUl'sdbO 

 after which thai of theftveragusi 



seriously, on a moment's reflection, one cannot help being 

 struck with the similarity on a reduced scale. An experi- 

 ence like the fallowing may better convey my meaning: 

 Quoih Jones, "it you want good trout-fishing go to the 

 Weal ; you can't go wrong." Robinson accordingly pucka 



up his traps and starts say for Kansas; arrived in "Kansas, 



makes inquiries. "Oh. you pnghl to goto New Jle^rco 



if you waul good fishing.'" Accordingly Kobiuson arrives 

 in this Territory, Say in the northern part, he is then told he 

 should go further south; then Ik- roe- no icar Old Mexico, 

 but at lust lands in Santa Fe. On inquiry he is told, "Oh, ves, 

 plenty of good fishing on the Pecos twenty mflea from here." 



Arrives on Pecos, is then to Id the best fishing is ten miles 

 above this place. On reaching the spot at last, he finds he 

 has spent all the time at his disposal, and so is obliged to 

 pack tip his traps again and go back Hast without having 

 wet a line. This is onlv fl slight exaggerated fancy picture 

 of the woes of a Sportsman in search of fun. and ] have no 

 doubt many of your readers have met with similar luck. 

 This seeming destiny of the followers of either rod or yun 

 has 80 frequently been impressed upon me that lean scarcely 



Tin 



pudding. TJ 

 that afford g 

 remarkably 



pieces together I felt pretty Co 



spot. On the way out, about, 

 espied a covey running across 

 males, so we alighted at once, 

 guns, and went as fast as 

 by the side of the ro 



of the Territory (N. B., I 

 il .shooting, but'arouml San 

 (ween, like pluiflS in a SC 

 lv is a large number of pit: 

 >r their flight is very swift 

 md erratic. During i 

 ire to note I he spots wl 

 or thorn after September 1. 

 iueeda friend t 



n in the 



Fethey 



net 



ntenl to ki 



, putting 



to the 

 bout, twelve miles from town, we 

 cross the road just in front of the 

 once, slipped cartridges into our 

 we could straight Up a small hill 

 wind which the birds had disap- 

 quail are 



pcared. The running powers of the Californ 

 second only to that of a man ahead of a bear. Just as We 

 reached the summit on c^ne side they had been equally as 

 expeditious on tin- other, consequently we met, and up they 

 all went on our left, and I got in both barrels and picked up 

 a brace. My friend was standing in such a position that he 

 could not yet in a shot. We followed them up, but could 

 and no further 1 1 SCO. We next beat some marsh ground for 

 duck am. snipe, but without success, and then went lo my 

 pet ground, and soon found two coveys, but the young ones 

 being scarcely large enough to shoot, we spared them for 

 future sport, and turned our attention to doves and rabbits. 

 Our bag consisted of .-even quail, four rabbits, and about 

 fifteen doves, .Nothing very big, but not had for this sec- 

 tion. 



Last June I was invited to make one of a party to go on 

 to the Pecos, and went, A good ambulance with four mules 



'. "i vcy us to the scene of operations about forty miles 



oft. For about, the first twenty miles the road is very tedi- 

 ous, nothing but, pinon-eovered plain and heaps of dust, but 

 on Hearing the celebrated Apache Canon that has been the 

 source of so much trouble and expense to the A. T. and S. 

 F. Railroad, we found ourselves in a decidedly i 



esque neighborhood, 

 spot where the Apai ' 



fight took place du 

 ,oted despc 



sheriff's posse. But 



hal gri 



strong mules. Will do 



woudei 



so at hist we reai hpd 





ranch where we prop 





one mile Irom it, I al 



ghted f 



of my companions to 



try for 



ins Ihe rod. he the ne 



t. Tim 



jnv tackle together, ;1 



id inoi 



veiiow cowduns : ad 

 I was soon at work. 



Ttafl* 



reached the rendessvo 



is. at 'I 



dozen, mostly -mall 1 



sh a v 



sideling I fished from 



the ba. 



An excellent supper 



consist 



with usual Tanch et cc 



teras of 



ample justice to. In 



iring th 



man, after devouring 



at the 1 



remarked on being pi 



essed to 



ihe 

 id subsequ 

 ! old 



■virkirig 

 Before 



re pictur 



s pass the 



ring tin 



ulo.'llo 

 od off : 



ad fou 



ig for the 



the con 



ith pe 



ght, and about 



ice with one 



ier. I wield- 



eklv putting 



red hackle, 



>rl body, 



the til 



lk. 



ek, 1 had taken just twe 

 good evening's work con 



>f wild turkey, fresh trout, 

 milk, butter and eggs, was done 



sast computation ten of tie fish, 

 take another (Ihe lasl), that he 

 never ate trout, because "they disagree wilii me." 



Next the inevitable pipe followed and all hands settled 

 down to swapping fish lies. Why is it that fishing and tall 

 lying are usual!;. BUppOSed tohe inseparable v r noticed tt 

 Short line lime ago in a We.-.ii an paper the remark that, it 



stand Ananias stretching liie point a little about Ihe church 

 collections. 



Now we are on the subject of fish yarns, f cannot refrain 

 from giving you a specimen from Ireland. When fishing m 

 Conueniaiif. 'in the west of Ireland, some few years ago, I 

 cane u pon as fine a specimen of a coldblooded fish liar as 

 the world ever produced — a certain first-prize laker at. any 

 international piscatorial exhibition, lie was a typical Irish 

 peasant, and river-keeper to the lord of the manor, but 

 withal an excellent fisherman. One evening he imparted 

 the following in such a .serious manner, that to throw any 

 doubt upon iiis veracity would give great oilcnce: 



I bad received orders from the master," he said in his 

 rich brogue, "to kill a salmon [or the house, and had tried 

 for n longtime without moving a. fish, when on throwing 



my tail fly onto the opposite bank to draw if gently into the 

 water to try and coax up a fish in that way, a lg-pounder 



look i ti v drop fly with a rush, but I was terrified to see my 

 tail fly "fast on the bank. I was not lone; left in doubt, how- 

 ever, a- lo Ihe cause of its remaining there, for I found I 

 had securely booked a, line lively hare anil salmon atone 

 throw. Post one and then the other would prove the 

 stronger, the hare Irving to make off across country, and 

 the salmon naturally making for the deepest, pools. The. 

 tight, ad or lasting for about a quarter of an hour, during 

 which all 1 had to do was to give Hue, the combatants had 

 removed Ihe battlefield from a rather sleep bank, lo a. shal- 

 low, pebbly ford a little below. I saw ihe salmon turn up 

 exhausted and the hare go straight away, dragging the fish 

 with him out onto dry laud, [then landed the hare, aflei a 

 short Struggle, and went on my way rfejotoing*." There! 

 How's that: 



The following morning 1, being the only fisherman of the 

 party, set oil' betimes and fished about, two miles of beauti- 

 ful water, and on returning in the evening found my bag to 

 consist of five dozen trout, averaging one-quarter poimd. I 

 had returned a large number of small ones during the day, 

 lint was not fortunate enough to get on terms wilh a big 

 one, in I'acl. large fish in the upper waters arc not numer- 

 ous. 



Tile next day we determined to move down stream some 

 ten or twelve 'miles. The weather during the night had 

 undergone a marked change, the river" had risen cou- 

 sidcrablv and the wind was cold, so 1 had some misgivings 

 of m\ success. The banks were very much overhung with 

 bushes, so the onlv way to flsb wasto wadedown Ihe middle 

 of the' stream, which 'l did. All my best endeavors met 

 with but little success, as after whipping for about -two 

 hours, and trying all Ihe dies f could think of, my creel was 

 as empty as the day I bougbl it. and worse, if was getting 

 late. viz.. loiu o'clock. However, knowing Jish to be in a 

 Stream, Iain not easily discouraged at failure at the first 

 attempt, and so persevered, trying the deeps, shallows and 

 ripples in turn, hoping to find where the trout wen fi ding. 

 At last, after a ino.-t unexciting lime. 1 was Chi ered by see- 

 ing a .fish dash at my tail fly, as itpassed him on a .-will 

 stretch of water, but be missed it. It was evidently a good 

 fish, I saw enough of him for that, so I cast again and nailed 

 him. He cave me a good light in the swifi water, but after 

 a few minutes' play I bad Ihe net under him: weight one- 

 half pound. With the next throw I wasfast to another, and 

 landing him, found him the exact counterpart of No. 1. 1 

 then took several smaller ones of about one-quarter pound each, 

 after which ssme slow fishing ensued. On work) fg my 

 way through some bushes to get lo the river again, I found 

 myself in front of a fine 'deep hole of atroutv appearance. 

 I soon took severel nice trout, but. one old fellow, out of 

 pure cusscdncssor will, kept rising in a tantalizing man- 

 ner every now and theu right in the middle of a sub- 

 merged bush. In vain 1 tried (o Coax him out of it, but he 

 knew too much for that, so at last, as il was getting dark, f 

 risked a throw right over him. He took it without Ihe least 

 hesitation, and by tightening the line on striking, he cams 

 clear of the bush by some piece of good luck. Of course he 

 tried to make back' for the bush lo break my tackle, but on 

 giving him the butt he rushed up stream, then down, then 

 across, as only an agitated trout can do. In the end, though, 

 he had to succumb; hiswekht was one and one-half pounds, 

 f then had to reel up and go home. My basket Com 3ted d 

 seventeen llsh of a very good size. This, considering ihe un- 

 favorable start and inclement weather, was satisfactory 

 sport. 



The next evening saw me back in Santa Fe after having 

 had a most enjoyable trip. _ Westwakd Ho. 



GAME IN THE ROCKIES. 



1THIS is essentially a big game country— a vast country 

 _ peopled with noble game. During the first two 

 years in the life of a new mining camp tli 

 shooter reign supreme; then, gradually, the 

 upon I he field. This region has hardly yei 

 the domination of the rifle, and to the lover or tins stern 

 weapon this is a paradise. Bear, elk. deer, mountain lion 

 (American cougar), and wolverine are abundant. I may say 

 that among my many acquaintances among veteran moun- 

 taineers I raic'ly meet one who has lost any bear— hence they 

 rarely hunt him, although, of course, many are being killed. 

 There are several varieties, including the genuine grizzly. 

 the cinnamon, bald-face, silver-tip, and black— all save the 

 latter exceedingly pugnacious, always ready lor a fight, and 

 standing up niarvclously under a rain of lead, eVe&a heart- 

 shot seldom bringing iiim immediately down. In hunting 

 them many men are annually killed. 



Bear may now lie found in any direction, and even in the 

 immediate' vicinity of town, and they are frequently met on 

 the trails, but I heir favorite haunts are in the berry patches 

 and along the margin of the salmon streams. Elk and deer, 

 during the warm months, mostly ascend higher up among 

 the loflj peaks of the Haw Toolh Range, but as this moun- 

 tain chain is now glittering white under a blanket of freshly 

 fallen snow, they are journeying down, ami an ordinary 

 hunter can get deer without difficulty in any of the side 

 from town. In fact, there is no 

 il is reduced to a simple matter of 

 : not Ihe dread of snow lhat deer 



CAMP COOKERY. 



FAJtT II. 



ok- 



IN my last I endeavored I o describe how to cook , 

 fish and vegetables at the camp lire, without any 

 ing utensils whatever, and 1 can assure the reader" tJial a 

 very little experience will enable him lo prepare a savorv 

 meal with no other help than the natural products and 

 growth of the forests. 



Of course the mode described in rny first letter requires a 

 good big bed of coals and time, both of which are quite a 

 disadvantage to the hungry sportsman, who pulls into a 

 pleasant camp ground hungry and tired, and who has not 

 only his lire to build Mid his camp to arrange before dark- 

 ness sets in, but fuel mav be scarce, and he must content 

 himself with a small fire, or else a cold lunch is inevitable. 

 Particularly is this the case when hunting on the plains, 

 win re a few dried buffalo chips are often all the fuel avail- 

 able for cooking o- camp lire. 



By the following plan — Whlcll, by the way. is a favorite 

 one with me, on account, of time saved— yoii mm pn pi re 

 an excellent meal, with very little fuel and at comparatively 

 short notice, as well as without the aid of any utensils, save 

 something to make your coffee in. 



On going into camp; start your fire the first thing and 

 late the size of il by the fuel at command, for a small 



till 



I1PP 



rifle and si 



i fro 



novelty in killing ll 

 meat. ' Flk, which 

 feel, have not yet eo 

 a few days Since I st 



ally over a low div 

 they were close up 

 simply to see til 



I did not I 

 lion are plenty, but 



Trout fishing is si 

 ries— in truth. Ihe s 



down in so great numbi 

 i band of about thirty CO 

 directly upon me. I ■ 

 d then turned my six -si 

 plunge away. Not having 



;:;la 



perl. 



/ to kill. Wolv 

 shy 



jeldot 



stn 



■■inei 



ii;, l" 



(.'( 



: hi 



Wood River and its fribu 

 nay be .said of all the Rocky Alocn- 

 I'rom Little Smoky a few nights 

 d his trembling and labored breath- 



ten 



„ told 



spurs, and he cautious! 



1 stn 



ivanced along the trail, where, at 

 _ ..,-th. directly in the trail, through the dark, I made Oul a 

 huge black form slowly advancing from me and not more 

 than six to ten yards on my front. I again struck niv pony 

 on the flanks, and reined him oil' upon the side hill abreast 

 of !he brute and as near as possible. Reassuring the horse 

 bywords; I baked and rapidlv emptied a Coll. I). A., calibre 

 .45, six, at the black mass, which immediately piungedinto a 

 clump of willows a few yards away, from whence I could 

 plainly hear the snapping of the bear's jaws, and being a 

 good snap shot with a. pistol, I have no doubt that his chops 

 were bloody. It is almost needless, to add, I did not. dis- 

 mount, or look further. JOHN H. Bursas. 

 H.iiLev i Wood River), Idaho, Sept. 20. 



vliiek so 

 soonei 



age th 



'sticks 



the manner dese 

 When the. fish 

 of the coals a < 

 forks, being he.: 

 inches above the 



or under a stone 



fish in this mann 



mis down to coals, will help you to 



inning bv cleaning your trout or other 



e nee i of nail pork to aeL fish, and 

 g off about an inch of the silk endand 

 to the kernels. Now cut a half dozen 

 ie feet long and from one-half to an 

 brkedat the small end. Sharpen both 

 ug and sharp; take a trout and lay a 

 ;t along the inside where you slit it 

 ues of the forked stick clear through 

 ling a tine go through between the 



d pork is about to be withdrawn from 

 lave it take a tumble into the coals 

 ler. cooked meat giving way. This 

 reluily sticking il on the birch fork in 



i the rods, lay down on the very edge 

 tone or log, s'o (hat the biieh toasting- 

 ;s il, the fish may rest from six to ten 



Stick the other end in the ground 

 I lying back of the first one, but be 

 you leave It to roast. Place all your 



id while the pork fat hisses and Bplut- 



e side,, and out through the gills, the 

 aboui a.- i. the heal 8 mosl brought 

 ■r graceful turns and motions. While 

 •ely. you cut. as mauv more sticks as 

 irn lo cook, but not forked ones this 

 id sharpened to a long taper point. 

 ■cam out a hole in the end of the cob 

 hieke.sl, part of your sharp stick, and 

 n the ground between your feet, push 

 on the stick, and place them across a 

 lea- you did the fish. Having got 

 i OUT water on to boil for the coffee. 

 ee'lu it until later on. as described in 

 )U can now- watch the things over the 

 cr, or taking I hem olf for a moment; 

 coal- under where they hang, beiug 

 ? food, or it will smoke 

 er to turn them several 

 lone, as they cook more 



the thing.- cooking, gel y 

 but don't put any coffee 

 my former letter. You 

 fire, and turn them over 

 rake up some more to: 

 careful not to put fresh f 

 or perhaps set it on tin 

 times before any pari i, 

 easily and brown more 



If your lire has been small." and you tl 

 coals' to finish with, throw on some fu 

 of 3'our fire, and as it turns to coals r 

 vour fish so as to avoid smoke and lit 



It 



ruinous in cooking. I ha' 

 a lew little pices of dried 

 time, and thought I never ate 

 hot and toothsome, crisp and I 



ik it wdll ncnl more 

 ll fuel on the lee side 

 ke them over under 



both of which aie 



•ooked In 



idar with onlv a lew minute's 



delicious morsel, so 



was. The teste still 



unguis on my toegue at the recollectic 



n of it, ai 



d 1 can re- 



calT no better way to cook a trout. I 



o be eatel 



instantlv 



than this. If instead of fish you have 



ng them i 



>lher game, 

 . strips and 



impaling with the piece oJ pork m Hi 



• same wa 



\ II vour 



risk are too large to cook whole in lb 



s way, yoi 



mav split 





ier alreaih 



described. 



or take one large one. get a cleau > 



lab and i 



take half a 



dozen hardwood pins or nails about a 



n inch lo 



eg. making 



the poinls sharp, and have good s 



zed heads 



on them. 



Now, cut three or four narrow" strips 



if salt i) 01 



v, lay litem 



crosswise the fish, which has been sc 



ored acros 



s and split 



almost through lengthwise from ihe 



inside, ai 



d nail the 



pork strips and fish to the slab; the 



i pla-ce tw 



o stones at 



the edge of the lire and lav the slab at 



ro,s so In 



it your fish 



will come over a nice bed of live c< 



mis. Win' 



e your sup- 



camp as you can. and at the ineai 



tiiri: not 



neglect the 



r pots to cle 



Inch .comes 



Anolhf 



■ eoffe. 



iiorsels of nicely browned trout, will, with 



letttfd bvadav ; s sport, afford you a supper 



i.li enjoy, Then. too. friend Doctor, 



py thought that there arc no djsb.es to wash 



i before ) ou mav light your pipe or cigar and 



vour blanket and enjoy thai, rat . : 



neal 



id eoffe, 



such u 

 s to take; 



i a good hi 



id 



no 



al (lav 



is needed f 

 can be all carried in an army haver, 

 thrown in the bottom of your cftJ 

 night comes on, a small fire and a 

 ■nveyou a good meal, provided you 



too large for the p; 



plate, and when I 



nd plate, with 

 a little salt in 

 ak, is all that 

 dar camp, and 

 ier on foot or 

 en hungry, or 

 ients' lime will 



r oilier fish 



tisl 



ulv do 

 and 



i fe- 



..if .,t the bread or crao] \ cb. Turn and brown them 

 •ely. make vour c ilee in vour tin cup, and a good enough 

 iper I'm ainlijit'. is ready in a few moments. When 

 orcii, scour off vour tin plate in the white sand of the shore, 

 se oul your cup', and you have doueall your dish washing, 

 d are ready for the next meal, which may be miles away. 



